Grid has plans for $18.5M substation on W. Warwick line

John Howell
Posted 2/24/15

Demand for electricity in the western part of the city, as well as in West Warwick and parts of Coventry, is projected to reach a point that existing substations will be at capacity by …

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Grid has plans for $18.5M substation on W. Warwick line

Posted

Demand for electricity in the western part of the city, as well as in West Warwick and parts of Coventry, is projected to reach a point that existing substations will be at capacity by 2016.

Tomorrow evening, starting at 6 at the Valley Country Club, National Grid will hold an informational meeting, or open house, on plans to build an $18.5 million substation at 375 New London Ave. in Warwick. The facility is projected to take a year to build and will enable the utility company to shut down one of two substations now serving the area including the Center of New England development and Royal Mills, the lead project manager Marc Bristol said in a conference call Thursday. He said construction would start once the project has permits, and that is projected to be completed by spring. Permits are required at the federal, state and city levels.

The project is part of $73.3 million in capital improvements slated for this year as part of National Grid’s infrastructure and reliability plan, said David Graves, the media relations representative for National Grid. Graves said the greater than usual level of improvements will result in an increase of 75 to 80 cents in the monthly bill of residential customers using 500 kilowatt hours. He pointed out that, unlike the electric rate increase that went into effect the first of the year, this would be applied to the distribution side of the bill.

Graves said the major improvement project involves the five-year $93 million in new substations and transmission and distribution lines on Aquidneck Island.

“Demand on the island has increased substantially,” he said. “We have to keep up with customer demand and for the future as well.”

That is what is driving the new Warwick substation.

According to material provided for the open house, “The forecasted load studies show potential overload conditions on area distribution feeders, substation transformers and supply lines that will exceed 100 percent of their load capacity ratings in 2016 and beyond.”

Bristol said the substation would be built on existing National Grid property in the shadow of transmission lines. It will be about 300 feet from the nearest residence. The fenced-in area of the substation would be 235 by 150 feet and the building about 1,000 square feet. Purposely, after consulting with the city administration, a low-lying area that will help hide the station from neighbors was selected. The station will be visible from Greenbrier Condominiums in Warwick. In addition, an earthen berm and plantings are planned as means of obscuring the station.

Transformers do make a humming noise, however, Bristol said, low noise transformers would be used and that a sound wall would be part of the facility.

National Grid expects questions about the electric magnetic frequency produced by the station.

“An EMF expert will be there,” Danielle Aretz of National Grid said. She said the open house that will run to 8 p.m. would be “like a trade show.” She said people would have the opportunity to view a board outlining the project, ask questions and take away information fact sheets.

Once the station is up and running, Bristol said it would be operated remotely. At most, personnel would visit it once a week.

The city tax assessor will also be interested in seeing the station. Graves said the station is subject to taxation, but it is too early to know what it would be assessed for and, of course, what the city would see in tax revenues is also based on the tax rate.

Other National Grid projects are slated for Warwick this coming summer. While it does not relate to infrastructure upgrading, the company will relocate buried electrical and natural gas lines on Main Avenue as part of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation project to extend the main runway from 7,160 to 8,700 feet. The longer runway calls for a relocation of Main Avenue to the south. The longer runway is to be completed by late 2017.

Graves pointed out that RIAC would be paying to relocate the power and gas lines and that would not be reflected in consumer bills.

Comments

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  • RIposter

    How much will National Grid be raising our rates to pay for this next year? We are already paying for the executive pay and bonuses that were increased by 50% in 2013! http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/06/11/compensation-jumps-for-national-grid-executives/GbS8eFXsk6t0JbjCYRhPAM/story.html

    Tuesday, February 24, 2015 Report this

  • warwick10

    I agree, RIposter! But they are unstoppable ...CEO's earning 280x more than the average worker! Sickening! And its only getting worse!

    Thursday, February 26, 2015 Report this

  • Norm88

    What we all should do is buy our power from another company IE: North American Power

    Thursday, February 26, 2015 Report this

  • Norm88

    What we all should do is buy our power from another company IE: North American Power

    Thursday, February 26, 2015 Report this